Overwolf Electron Technical Overview
ow-electron is a solution built on top of Electron and aimed at allowing electron apps access to Overwolf APIs.
- @overwolf/ow-electron is a package based on the electron package, adding several new features to it.
- @overwolf/ow-electron-builder is a package based on the electron-builder package, which supports building ow-electron apps.
- @overwolf/electron-is-overwolf - similar to the
electron-is-dev package, allows your app to check whether it's currently running as
ow-electron, or as a baseelectronapp.
For more information, see onboarding resources and Intro to Overwolf apps.
ow-electron features
The following sections outline the different ow-electron features and how to enable them.
The owadview tag
The <owadview/> tag, which is based on the Electron <webview/> tag, automatically hosts and manages ads in your app.
To use it, place the <owadview/> tag (no attributes required) inside a <div> tag, with the size of the
standard IAB Ad unit you wish to display.
For more information, see Working with Ads.
App usage analytics
App usage analytics is enabled by default for all ow-electron applications and provides insights into application usage, behavior, and performance. Developers can choose to opt out of the full analytics collection by calling app.overwolf.disableAnonymousAnalytics(). When this API is used, analytics collection is reduced to the mandatory minimum (limited to essential, non-identifying events such as app launch and basic session signals) required solely for performance, stability, and operational monitoring.
App Usage Analytics events are governed by Overwolf's privacy policy. For more information, see Data Sets Overwolf Collects.
Consent Management Platform (CMP)
A CMP makes it easier for you to meet the stricter legal requirements governing data collection in certain parts of the world. It helps you by handling the process of receiving consent to collect user cookies. This also allows you to show ads to users living in those areas.
OW-Electron comes with a built in CMP which your app can utilize out of the box. This allows you to:
- Check if a user needs to be informed of the CMP.
- Show the CMP itself (if necessary) and apply any settings needed to the entire OW-Electron package.
For more information about the CMP and how to work with it, see the Consent-Management-Platform.
Distribution Resources
Overwolf provides several different hosting/distribution services for apps running on its different platforms. These services have been adapted to support Overwolf Electron, and include:
- Content Delivery Network (CDN)—Free hosting and distribution of app release files, managed through the App Developers' Console.
- Custom Installer—A customizable designed installer, with a built-in CMP introduction flow.
- Updater Endpoint—An electron-updater endpoint, to ensure your app is always kept up to date.
Contact us for more information.
Code signing
With ow-electron you will need to provide your own code signing certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (e.g., DigiCert, Sectigo, etc.). When users run or install your app, their system can verify the signature using the public key from your certificate. If the verification passes, your app can be installed and run without OS warnings.